“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.“  Matthew 18:20 

Why do I need to go to church? I have a strong faith, I am a good person, and I try to do the right thing. Being a PK (Pastor’s Kid) church had always been a major part of my life and I took it for granted.

It wasn’t until I was in Grad school that my faith truly got challenged.  My family’s life got turned upside down from events that were out of our control. I started to wonder how and why God would allow something like this to happen. I knew God was in control and I told myself it was part of God’s plan but I still questioned it. Due to life, school, work and being busy, I slowly and without realizing it stopped going to church and Christ was not a major part of my life.

A couple of years later I had a few major events that happened to me personally that really challenged my faith and beliefs. With these events and challenges going on I realized something was missing. One Sunday I found a local church and walked in and sat down. I couldn’t believe it, the sermon hit me right between the eyes. It was exactly what I was going through.  The next two Sundays the same thing happened. I knew at that moment this could not be a coincidence.  I needed to have Christ back in my life.

A few years later I heard a sermon on the importance of church.  He mentioned that a person’s faith is like an olive branch and the church is the stem. The branch can stay alive on its own, but only when the branch is connected to the stem can the branch flower and bear fruit.  We can have faith but it is only when we are connected to the church that our faith can show its full potential and bear its fruit.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for all the blessings you provide for me.  Please help me to continually surround myself with the church and people that I can share my faith with.  Amen.

Joel Sengbusch